Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 68: Concern (1)

Near a tent where Dante stored his armour and weapons, Nigel walked up to Dante.

"Dante," Nigel greeted Dante.

"It is Lord Hastings," Rick corrected Nigel. "He has a title, whilst only your father has one."

"It would be best for you to keep your little mutt silent. Lord Hastings and I are family now, so we are familiar with each other. The other men wanted me to inquire about whether you truly plan to take part today, or if you are having fun teasing them?" Nigel asked, wishing it were the latter.

Dante put on his armour, ignoring Nigel for a moment. It was easy to get inside Nigel’s head before the game started.

Nigel didn’t like the silence. His peers were behind him, waiting for him to speak with Dante, and the silence earned him a few laughs. He didn’t like to be laughed at.

"Didn’t you hear me?" Nigel asked, wanting to grab Dante by his shirt and punch him.

"I heard you. I hoped silence would have sent you away. Is it the men who want to know, or do you want to know the odds of you winning? I’ve heard chatter that you’ve paid off most of the men to lose so you can look good before your father and the king," Dante purposely spoke loudly for others to hear.

"After boasting about your skills and how you can take on every man here, it would be embarrassing for you, but to lose after bribing others to throw the games for you, I don’t know how you could show your face after," Dante said, raising his head to reveal a smile.

"Someone fed you wrong news. I have not paid off anyone here, and I don’t need to. My skills will speak for themselves. I am glad that you are joining us today, so the men can have answers to a few questions. When you lose, I hope you can show your face," said Nigel.

"I am not afraid of losing as you are. I know every battle cannot be won, but you have something to prove. Your father goes around speaking of your skills, but when I think of how you stood on the battlefield, I wonder if he has a second son-"

"I faced you like a man on the battlefield. You merely outnumbered me," Nigel corrected Dante.

"You ran like a little boy and left your men without a leader. There should be a rule that men who run from war should not be in the palace. A man who abandons those who follow you into battle should be ashamed of himself," Dante said, peering down upon Nigel.

Dante could never respect Nigel. Their principles never aligned with each other, and seeing that Nigel might have harmed Ophelia, it added to Dante’s dislike of him.

"I need to speak to Lord Hastings alone," Nigel informed the other men.

Nigel’s peers moved, but Dante’s guards remained.

"Go," Dante ordered his guards. "He’ll only hurt himself."

Rick led the others away, but remained close enough to step in should Nigel be foolish.

"You should be careful how you speak to me," Nigel said, certain Dante would one day regret it.

"Or what? You’ll run from me?" Dante replied, peering down at Nigel.

"You mustn’t let that one moment be what you think of me-"

"You had one chance to make an impression, and you failed," Dante interjected.

Like father, like son.

Just as Joel hid behind his guards, Nigel now did the same.

"I look forward to changing your opinion of me. I noticed that you keep glancing at where Ophelia sits. Has she told you of how close we are? About how often I visited her? Despite her small frame and her little upbringing, she is quite the beauty," Nigel said and noticed how Dante gripped his helmet.

"You should watch how you speak of your sister before others misunderstand your relationship," said Dante.

"Sister?" Nigel repeated it, finding it amusing to hear it from Dante. "I never thought of her as my sister. That is how I know she hasn’t spoken of me. Ophelia has always been one to misbehave, so I had to set her straight. You must see the results when you two are alone. Aren’t her tears exciting?"

Dante’s grip on his helmet grew stronger, unknowingly creating a dent with his fingers. He knew what Nigel was doing, and while he was angry, Dante knew to wait.

The chance to get even with Nigel on Ophelia’s behalf would soon be before him. The event would soon start, but should he attack now, he couldn’t take part.

Dante turned away from Nigel, hoping not looking at Nigel would calm his anger a bit, but it did not work.

Dante examined his hands. He was close to snapping Nigel’s neck and reigniting the war right here, right now.

"It still upsets me to this day that my father allowed her to be brought in as my stepsister when I have never seen her as such. I look forward to the day she will be right back in the castle. I will take good care of her for you," Nigel promised.

Nigel awaited Dante trying to fight him, but it did not come. He frowned, angry to see Dante more focused on his armour. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Was he wrong about Dante having feelings for Ophelia?

Dante placed his helmet on his head and spared Nigel one last glance. He didn’t have anything to say in response to Nigel’s taunts since his actions in the hunting round would provide his answer.

Dante walked away whilst he was still able to hold back from punching Nigel until his face was not recognisable.

"We hunt near him when the hunting game starts," Dante informed Rick.

"Need I remind you that if you hurt Lord Valthorn’s son right now, it would cause trouble later on?" Rick informed Dante. "I am with you, but I am thinking of the days ahead."

"We hunt near him," Dante repeated, standing firm on his decision.

"The king and queen, Edward and Althea Croswell!"

The announcement of the king’s arrival signalled the start of the games.

Edward walked ahead of Althea, leading the way to the chairs set out for them.

"It is a good crowd this year," Althea pointed out.

"It grows bigger with each passing year. The Hastings are here," Edward said, his eyes lingering on Ophelia. "Invite Lady Hastings to sit with us or to join us for dinner. I have not become well acquainted with her yet."

Althea’s gaze fell upon Ophelia. She knew what Edward wanted. "As you wish," she replied, looking away from where Ophelia sat.

With what she knew now, Althea couldn’t possibly become friends with Ophelia.